title: Relevance of oral intake and necessity to void as ambulatory surgical discharge criteria.
abstract: Discharge criteria used in the outpatient setting of a 500-bed academic medical center were evaluated by nursing staff in two ambulatory units to determine validity in identifying patient readiness for discharge. Criteria categories include temperature, circulation, activity and mental status, pain, bleeding, voiding, and oral intake. The hospital course and post-discharge course of a convenience sample of 248 ambulatory subjects was drawn from consecutive patients. Post-discharge recovery outcomes identified by the telephone assessment included recovery, complications, necessity of further medical treatment, and the need to return to a medical facility. The descriptive results showed the safety of the seven discharge criteria. Voiding and oral intake were related to prolonged stays in the ambulatory units. Approval was granted by the Hospital Policy Board to relax discharge criteria, and make voiding and oral intake optional for patients. A stage II follow-up study of 1,582 patient subjects was conducted using the new criteria of voluntary voiding and oral intake. The average ambulatory stay was reduced 50 minutes after voiding and oral intake were made optional.
authors.affiliation: Same Day Admissions Unit, Penn State's Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey 17033, USA.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Beatty
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Couch
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Long
mesh_terms: D000556:Ambulatory Surgical Procedures; D004326:Drinking; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D010351:Patient Discharge; D018579:Patient Selection; D011182:Postoperative Care; D014554:Urination